Enthusiasts of any hobby, food, or drink are rarely left on their own to fend for themselves in the world of their passions. What self-respecting birder would be without a field guide? A chef without a cookbook. A beer snob without a companion?

The next best thing to having the renowned beer writer Michael Jackson at your side is having Garrett Oliver’s The Oxford Companion to Beer in your bag. Encyclopedic, beautiful, and user friendly, this book is the go-to source things zymology.